Cytarabine 1g/10ml solution for injection vials
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
A pyrimidine nucleoside analog that is used mainly in the treatment of leukemia, especially acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia.
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
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Official medicine documents
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Cytarabine
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Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Cytarabine
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EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
7 branded products available
MHRA licensed products
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Cytarabine 1g/10ml solution for injection vials
Cytarabine 1g/10ml solution for injection vials
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and NHS BNF section grouping. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Clinical guidelines and formulary information
British National Formulary
Cytarabine
Source: British National Formulary, NICE. Joint Formulary Committee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
NICE clinical guidance(11)
Venetoclax with low dose cytarabine for untreated acute myeloid leukaemia when intensive chemotherapy is unsuitable (TA787)
Liposomal cytarabine–daunorubicin for untreated acute myeloid leukaemia (TA552)
Venetoclax with azacitidine for untreated acute myeloid leukaemia when intensive chemotherapy is unsuitable (TA765)
Gemtuzumab ozogamicin for untreated acute myeloid leukaemia (TA545)
Inotuzumab ozogamicin for treating relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (TA541)
Azacitidine for treating acute myeloid leukaemia with more than 30% bone marrow blasts (TA399)
Quizartinib for induction, consolidation and maintenance treatment of newly diagnosed FLT3-ITD-positive acute myeloid leukaemia (TA1013)
Midostaurin for untreated acute myeloid leukaemia (TA523)
Oral azacitidine for maintenance treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia after induction therapy (TA827)
Ivosidenib with azacitidine for untreated acute myeloid leukaemia with an IDH1 R132 mutation (TA979)
Gilteritinib for treating relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (TA642)
Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
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Supply & product information
Official product databases and supply status monitoring
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. emc (electronic medicines compendium) is operated by Datapharm Ltd. Shortage information sourced from NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS), sps.nhs.uk.
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF codes from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
79 found
Half-life
10 minutes
Mechanism
Cytarabine acts through direct DNA damage and incorporation into DNA.
Food interactions
None known
Human targets
2 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
20%
Half-life
10 minutes
Protein binding
13%
Metabolism
Elimination
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Cytarabine is indicated in combination with [daunorubicin] for the treatment of newly-diagnosed therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) or AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC) in adults and pediatric patients 1 year and older.
[L32843]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 594 interactions
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
PMID:10556592 PMID:9207062 PMID:9572863
During this process, the damaged base is excised by specific DNA glycosylases, the DNA backbone is nicked at the abasic site by an apurinic/apyrimidic (AP) endonuclease, and POLB removes 5'-deoxyribose-phosphate from the preincised AP site acting as a 5'-deoxyribose-phosphate lyase (5'-dRP lyase); through its DNA polymerase activity, it adds one nucleotide to the 3' end of the arising single-nucleotide gap .
PMID:10556592 PMID:17526740 PMID:9556598 PMID:9572863 PMID:9614142
Conducts 'gap-filling' DNA synthesis in a stepwise distributive fashion rather than in a processive fashion as for other DNA polymerases. It is also able to cleave sugar-phosphate bonds 3' to an intact AP site, acting as an AP lyase PMID:9614142
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
Proteins that transport this drug across cell membranes
PMID:10215651 PMID:15107849 PMID:15795384 PMID:16729965 PMID:20601551 PMID:22206629 PMID:22569296 PMID:29530864
Functions as a Na(+)-dependent and pH-dependent high affinity microbial symporter of potent food-derived antioxidant ergothioeine .
PMID:15795384 PMID:29530864 PMID:33124720
Transports one sodium ion with one ergothioeine molecule (By similarity). Involved in the absorption of ergothioneine from the luminal/apical side of the small intestine and renal tubular cells, and into non-parenchymal liver cells, thereby contributing to maintain steady-state ergothioneine level in the body .
PMID:20601551
Also mediates the bidirectional transport of acetycholine, although the exact transport mechanism has not been fully identified yet .
PMID:22206629
Most likely exports anti-inflammatory acetylcholine in non-neuronal tissues, thereby contributing to the non-neuronal cholinergic system .
PMID:22206629 PMID:22569296
Displays a general physiological role linked to better survival by controlling inflammation and oxidative stress, which may be related to ergothioneine and acetycholine transports .
PMID:15795384 PMID:22206629
May also function as a low-affinity Na(+)-dependent transporter of L-carnitine through the mitochondrial membrane, thereby maintaining intracellular carnitine homeostasis .
PMID:10215651 PMID:15107849 PMID:16729965
May contribute to regulate the transport of cationic compounds in testis across the blood-testis-barrier PMID:35307651
PMID:12527806 PMID:15256465
May contribute to regulate the transport of organic compounds in testes across the blood-testis-barrier (Probable). Mediates multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer cells by preventing the intracellular accumulation of certain antitumor drugs, such as, docetaxel and paclitaxel .
PMID:15256465 PMID:23087055
Does not transport glycocholic acid, taurocholic acid, MTX, folic acid, cAMP, or cGMP PMID:12527806
PMID:10722669 PMID:10755314 PMID:12527552 PMID:14759222 PMID:15037197 PMID:17379602 PMID:21795683 PMID:26406980 PMID:27995448 PMID:35790189 PMID:8986748
Functions as a Na(+)-independent transporter .
PMID:8986748
Involved in the transport of nucleosides such as adenosine, guanosine, inosine, uridine, thymidine and cytidine .
PMID:10722669 PMID:10755314 PMID:12527552 PMID:14759222 PMID:15037197 PMID:17379602 PMID:26406980 PMID:8986748
Also transports purine nucleobases (hypoxanthine, adenine, guanine) and pyrimidine nucleobases (thymine, uracil) .
PMID:21795683 PMID:27995448
Mediates basolateral nucleoside uptake into Sertoli cells, thereby regulating the transport of nucleosides in testis across the blood-testis barrier (By similarity). Regulates inosine levels in brown adipocytes tissues (BAT) and extracellular inosine levels, which controls BAT-dependent energy expenditure PMID:35790189
ATC L01BC01
ATC L01XY01
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Cytarabine
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
2953
ChemSpider
6017
BindingDB
50087289
PDB
AR3
ZINC
ZINC000003795098
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:9174
GenAtlas
POLB
GeneCards
POLB
GenBank Gene Database
L11607
GenBank Protein Database
292397
Guide to Pharmacology
3231
UniProt Accession
DPOLB_HUMAN
GenBank Gene Database
X14112
GenBank Protein Database
59530
UniProt Accession
DPOL_HHV11
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2704
GenAtlas
DCK
GeneCards
DCK
GenBank Gene Database
M60527
UniProt Accession
DCK_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:8021
GenAtlas
NT5E
GeneCards
NT5E
GenBank Gene Database
X55740
GenBank Protein Database
23897
Guide to Pharmacology
1232
UniProt Accession
5NTD_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2710
GeneCards
DCTD
UniProt Accession
DCTD_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:1712
GenAtlas
CDA
GeneCards
CDA
GenBank Gene Database
L27943
Guide to Pharmacology
3133
UniProt Accession
CDD_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:10968
GenAtlas
SLC22A4
GeneCards
SLC22A4
GenBank Gene Database
AB007448
GenBank Protein Database
2605501
UniProt Accession
S22A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:52
GeneCards
ABCC10
GenBank Gene Database
AY032599
GenBank Protein Database
21103955
UniProt Accession
MRP7_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:11003
GenAtlas
SLC29A1
GeneCards
SLC29A1
GenBank Gene Database
U81375
GenBank Protein Database
1845345
Guide to Pharmacology
1117
UniProt Accession
S29A1_HUMAN
International reference pricing
Reference pricing from DrugBank. Prices are indicative and may not reflect current UK costs.
Source: DrugBank. Used under CC BY-NC 4.0 academic licence for non-commercial purposes.
Patent information
8 active patents, 3 expired
Source: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0. Patent data sourced from national patent offices. Expiry dates may not reflect extensions, regulatory exclusivity periods, or legal challenges.
DrugBank citations
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